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Li H, Zhao P, Li S, Guo J, Hao D. Trial and error: New insights into recombinant expression of membrane-bound insect cytochromes P450 in Escherichia coli systems. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 273:133183. [PMID: 38897522 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Insect cytochromes P450 (CYP450s) are key enzymes responsible for a wide array of oxidative transformations of both endogenous and exogenous substrates. However, there is currently no a universal guideline established for heterologous expression of membrane-bound CYP450s, which hampers their downstream biochemical and structural studies. In this study, we conducted large-scale screening of protein overexpression in Escherichia coli using 71 insect CYP450 sequences and optimized the expression of a difficult-to-express CYP450 (CYP6HX3) using eight different optimizations, including selection of host strains and expression vectors, alternative of leader signal peptides, and N-terminal modifications. We confirmed that 1) Only insect CYP450s belonging to the CYP347 family could be expressed with N-terminal fusion of ompA2+ signal peptide in E. coli expression system. 2) E. coli Lemo 21 (DE3) effectively improved the expression of CYP6HX3 in the plasma membrane. 3) A brick-red appearance occurred frequently in the expressed thallus or membrane proteins, but this phenomenon could not necessarily indicate successful overexpression of target CYP450s. These findings provide new insights into the recombinant expression of insect CYP450s in E. coli systems and will facilitate the theoretical approaches for functional expression and production of eukaryotic CYP450s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Li
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China; College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China
| | - Peiyuan Zhao
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China; College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China
| | - Shouyin Li
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China; College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China
| | - Jinyan Guo
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China; College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China
| | - Dejun Hao
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China; College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210037, China.
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Wang Y, Wang D, Dong B, Hao J, Jia X, Zhou H. Potential Candidate Molecule of Photosystem II Inhibitor Herbicide-Brassicanate A Sulfoxide. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2400. [PMID: 38397082 PMCID: PMC10889811 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Brassicanate A sulfoxide, a secondary metabolite of broccoli, exhibited the inhibition of weed growth, but its mechanism of action on weeds remains unclear. To elucidate the mechanism by which brassicanate A sulfoxide suppresses weeds, this study explores the interaction between brassicanate A sulfoxide and the photosystem II D1 protein through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. This research demonstrates that brassicanate A sulfoxide interacts with the photosystem II D1 protein by forming hydrogen bonds with Phe-261 and His-214. The successful expression of the photosystem II D1 protein in an insect cell/baculovirus system validated the molecular docking and dynamics simulations. Biolayer interferometry experiments elucidated that the affinity constant of brassicanate A sulfoxide with photosystem II was 2.69 × 10-3 M, suggesting that brassicanate A sulfoxide can stably bind to the photosystem II D1 protein. The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the mode of action of brassicanate A sulfoxide and also aid in the development of natural-product-based photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Hongyou Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Biopesticide Creation and Resource Utilization for Autonomous Region Higher Education Institutions, College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
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Liu S, Fu B, Zhang C, He C, Gong P, Huang M, Du T, Liang J, Wei X, Yang J, Yin C, Ji Y, Xue H, Hu J, Wang C, Zhang R, Du H, Yang X, Zhang Y. 20E biosynthesis gene CYP306A1 confers resistance to imidacloprid in the nymph stage of Bemisia tabaci by detoxification metabolism. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2023; 79:3883-3892. [PMID: 37226658 DOI: 10.1002/ps.7569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Difference in physiology level between the immature and mature stages of insects likely contribute to different mechanisms of insecticide resistance. It is well acknowledged that insect 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) plays an important role in many biological processes in the immature stage, whether 20E confers insecticide resistance at this specific stage is still poorly understood. By gene cloning, reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR, RNA interference (RNAi) and in vitro metabolism experiments, this study aimed to investigate the potential role of 20E-related genes in conferring imidacloprid (IMD) resistance in the immature stage of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean. RESULTS After identification of low to moderate IMD resistance in the whitefly, we found CYP306A1 of the six 20E-related genes was overexpressed in the nymph stage of the three resistant strains compared to a laboratory reference susceptible strain, but not in the adult stage. Further exposure to IMD resulted in an increase in CYP306A1 expression in the nymph stage. These results together imply that CYP306A1 may be implicated in IMD resistance in the nymph stage of the whitefly. RNAi knockdown of CYP306A1 increased the mortality of nymphs after treatment with IMD in bioassay, suggesting a pivotal role of CYP306A1 in conferring IMD resistance in the nymph stage. Additionally, our metabolism experiments in vivo showed that the content of IMD reduced by 20% along with cytochrome P450 reductase and heterologously expressed CYP306A1, which provides additional evidence for the important function of CYP306A1 in metabolizing IMD that leads to the resistance. CONCLUSION This study uncovers a novel function of the 20E biosynthesis gene CYP306A1 in metabolizing imidacloprid, thus contributing to such resistance in the immature stage of the insect. These findings not only advance our understanding of 20E-mediated insecticide resistance, but also provide a new target for sustainable pest control of global insect pests such as whitefly. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaonan Liu
- College of Plant Protection of Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Buli Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chengjia Zhang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Pesticide Biology and Precise Use Technology, Hunan Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute, Changsha, China
| | - Chao He
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Peipan Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mingjiao Huang
- College of Plant Protection of Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tianhua Du
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinjin Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuegao Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yao Ji
- College of Plant Protection of Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hu Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jinyu Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - He Du
- College of Plant Protection of Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Youjun Zhang
- College of Plant Protection of Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetable Biobreeding, Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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Guo L, Zhang Z, Xu W, Ma J, Liang N, Li C, Chu D. Expression profile of CYP402C1 and its role in resistance to imidacloprid in the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci. INSECT SCIENCE 2023; 30:146-160. [PMID: 35603806 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.13081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is a cosmopolitan insect pest causing serious damage to crop production. Cytochromes P450 (CYPs) of B. tabaci are widely known to be involved in the metabolic resistance to a variety of insecticides, continuously increasing the difficulty in controlling this pest. In this study, four P450 genes (CYP6CM1, CYP6CX1, CYP6CX3, and CYP402C1) in B. tabaci exhibited correlations with the resistance to imidacloprid. We have focused on trying to understand the function and metabolism capacity of CYP402C1. The expression profiles of CYP402C1 were examined by reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridizations. Its role in resistance to imidacloprid was investigated by RNA interference, transgenic Drosophila melanogaster, and heterologous expression. The results showed that CYP402C1 was highly expressed in the active feeding stages of B. tabaci, such as nymphs and female adults. CYP402C1 was mainly expressed in midguts of nymphs and adults, especially in the filter chamber. Knockdown of CYP402C1 significantly decreased the resistance of B. tabaci to imidacloprid by 3.96-fold (50% lethal concentration: 186.46 versus 47.08 mg/L). Overexpression of CYP402C1 in a transgenic D. melanogaster line (Gal4 > UAS-CYP402C1) significantly increased the resistance to imidacloprid from 12.68- to 14.92-fold (129.01 and 151.80 mg/L versus 1925.14 mg/L). The heterologous expression of CYP402C1 showed a metabolism ability of imidacloprid (imidacloprid decreased by 12.51% within 2 h). This study provides new insights for CYP402C1 function in B. tabaci and will help develop new strategies in B. tabaci control and its insecticide resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Guo
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
| | - Zhuang Zhang
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
| | - Wei Xu
- Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | - Jiangya Ma
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
| | - Ni Liang
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
| | - Changyou Li
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
| | - Dong Chu
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Plant Health and Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China
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Chen X, Palli SR. Identification of species-specific juvenile hormone response elements in the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 151:103860. [PMID: 36374778 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Juvenile hormones (JH) regulate insect development and reproduction. The JH analogs (JHA) are used as insecticides. However, JHAs are rarely used in managing pests such as the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda that cause damage during larval stages. The insecticides that antagonize JH action and induce stoppage of feeding and precocious metamorphosis might work better to control these pests. Treating insects with JHA insecticides induces the expression of an early JH response gene, Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1) by working through JH response elements (JHRE) present in its promoter. In this study, we identified JHREs present in the promoter of Kr-h1 gene of a global pest, S. frugiperda, and used them to develop a JHRE-reporter cell platform to screen for JH analogs. JHA, methoprene induced the expression of SfKr-h1 both in vitro and in vivo. JHRE present in the promoters of two SfKr-h1 isoforms, SfKr-h1α and SfKr-h1β were identified. In Sf9 cells, the knockout of isoform-specific JHRE affected JH response in an isoform-specific manner. We also found that S. frugiperda JHRE (SfJHRE) did not function in the mosquito Aedes aegypti Aag2 cells and Tribolium castaneum TcA cells. Similarly, Ae. aegypti AaJHRE and T. castaneum TcJHRE were only functional in cells derived from these insects. The nucleotide sequence at the 3'end to the conserved core JHRE E-box sequence seems to be responsible for the species specificity observed. Two stable cell lines expressing the luciferase and enhanced green fluorescent protein genes under the control of SfJHRE were established. These cell lines responded well to JHA; these two JHRE-reporter cell lines could be used in screening assays to identify insecticides to manage S. frugiperda and other major pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xien Chen
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
| | - Subba Reddy Palli
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA.
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Samantsidis GR, Fotiadou M, Tzavellas S, Geibel S, Nauen R, Swevers L, Denecke S, Vontas J. Functional characterization of putative ecdysone transporters in lepidopteran pests. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 151:103830. [PMID: 36064128 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The insect steroid hormone ecdysone plays a critical role in insect development. Several recent studies have shown that ecdysone enters cells through Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptides (OATPs) in insects such as flies and mosquitoes. However, the conservation of this mechanism across other arthropods and the role of this transporter in canonical ecdysone pathways are less well studied. Herein we functionally characterized the putative ecdysone importer (EcI) from two major agricultural moth pests: Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm) and Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm). Phylogenetic analysis of OATP transporters across the superphylum Ecdysozoa revealed that EcI likely appeared only at the root of the arthropod lineage. Partial disruption of EcI in S. frugiperda decreased embryo hatching rate and larval survival, suggesting that this gene is essential for development in vivo. Depletion and re-expression of EcI in the lepidoptera cell line RP-HzGUT-AW1(MG) demonstrated this protein's ability to control ecdysone mediated signaling in gene regulation, its role in ecdysone mediated cell death, and its sensitivity to rifampicin, a well-known organic anion transporter inhibitor. Overall, this work sheds light on ecdysone uptake mechanisms across insect species and broadens our knowledge of the physiological roles of OATPs in the transportation of endogenous substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- George-Rafael Samantsidis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece; Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, 71409, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Melina Fotiadou
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, 71409, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Savvas Tzavellas
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, 71409, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Sven Geibel
- R&D Pest Control, Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim, Germany
| | - Ralf Nauen
- R&D Pest Control, Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim, Germany
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, 15310, Athens, Greece
| | - Shane Denecke
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece; Department of Pathobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.
| | - John Vontas
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece; Pesticide Science Lab, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece.
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Zhang Z, Xiong L, Xie C, Shen L, Chen X, Ye M, Sun L, Yang X, Yao S, Yue Z, Liang Z, You M, You S. Optimization and Application of CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in a Cosmopolitan Pest, Diamondback Moth. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232113042. [PMID: 36361828 PMCID: PMC9657529 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas9 system is an efficient tool for reverse genetics validation, and the application of this system in the cell lines provides a new perspective on target gene analysis for the development of biotechnology tools. However, in the cell lines of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, the integrity of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and the utilization of this cell lines still need to be improved to ensure the application of the system. Here, we stabilize the transfection efficiency of the P. xylostella cell lines at different passages at about 60% by trying different transfection reagents and adjusting the transfection method. For Cas9 expression in the CRIPSPR/Cas9 system, we identified a strong endogenous promoter: the 217–2 promoter. The dual-luciferase and EGFP reporter assay demonstrated that it has a driving efficiency close to that of the IE1 promoter. We constructed pB-Cas9-Neo plasmid and pU6-sgRNA plasmid for CRISPR/Cas9 system and subsequent cell screening. The feasibility of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in P. xylostella cell lines was verified by knocking out endogenous and exogenous genes. Finally, we generated a transgenic Cas9 cell line of P. xylostella that would benefit future exploitation, such as knock-in and multi-threaded editing. Our works provides the validity of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in the P. xylostella cell lines and lays the foundation for further genetic and molecular studies on insects, particularly favoring gene function analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Lei Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Chao Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Lingling Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xuanhao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Min Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Linyang Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Xiaozhen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shuyuan Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhen Yue
- BGI-Sanya, BGI-Shenzhen, Sanya 572025, China
| | | | - Minsheng You
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Shijun You
- State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Institute of Applied Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- International Joint Research Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Ministerial and Provincial Joint Innovation Centre for Safety Production of Cross-Strait Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management for Fujian-Taiwan Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Fuzhou 350002, China
- Key Laboratory of Green Control of Insect Pests, Fujian Province University, Fuzhou 350002, China
- BGI-Sanya, BGI-Shenzhen, Sanya 572025, China
- Correspondence:
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Kolliopoulou A, Kontogiannatos D, Mazurek AJ, Prifti I, Christopoulou VM, Labropoulou V, Swevers L. Analysis of luciferase dsRNA production during baculovirus infection of Hi5 cells: RNA hairpins expressed by very late promoters do not trigger gene silencing. FRONTIERS IN INSECT SCIENCE 2022; 2:959077. [PMID: 38468767 PMCID: PMC10926400 DOI: 10.3389/finsc.2022.959077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) has become an important platform for the expression of recombinant proteins and is especially useful for the production of large protein complexes such as virus-like particles (VLPs). An important application for VLPs is their use as vehicles for targeted delivery of drugs or toxins which requires the development of methods for efficient loading with the intended cargo. Our research intends to employ the BEVS for the production of VLPs for the delivery of insecticidal dsRNA molecules to targeted insect pests (as "dsRNA-VLPs"). A convenient strategy would be the co-expression of long dsRNAs with viral capsid proteins and their simultaneous encapsulation during VLP assembly but the capacity of the BEVS for the production of long dsRNA has not been assessed so far. In this study, the efficiency of production of long RNA hairpins targeting the luciferase gene ("dsLuc") by the polyhedrin promoter during baculovirus infection was evaluated. However, RNAi reporter assays could not detect significant amounts of dsLuc in Hi5 cells infected with recombinant baculovirus, even in the presence of co-expressed dsRNA-binding protein B2-GFP or the employment of the MS2-MCP system. Nevertheless, dot blot analyses using anti-dsRNA antibody revealed that baculovirus-mediated expression of B2-GFP resulted in significant increases in dsRNA levels in infected cells that may correspond to hybridized complementary viral transcripts. Using B2-GFP as a genetically encoded sensor, dsRNA foci were detected in the nuclei that partially co-localized with DAPI staining, consistent with their localization at the virogenic stroma. Co-localization experiments with the baculovirus proteins vp39, Ac93, ODV-E25 and gp64 indicated limited overlap between B2-GFP and the ring zone compartment where assembly of nucleocapsids and virions occurs. Stability experiments showed that exogenous dsRNA is resistant to degradation in extracts of non-infected and infected Hi5 cells and it is proposed that strong unwinding activity at the virogenic stroma in the infected nuclei may neutralize the annealing of complementary RNA strands and block the production of long dsRNAs. Because the strong stability of exogenous dsRNA, transfection can be explored as an alternative method for delivery of cargo for dsRNA-VLPs during their assembly in baculovirus-infected Hi5 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kolliopoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Kontogiannatos
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
| | - Aleksander Józef Mazurek
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
| | - Izabela Prifti
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
| | - Vasiliki-Maria Christopoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
| | - Vassiliki Labropoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
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9
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Santos D, Verdonckt TW, Mingels L, Van den Brande S, Geens B, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Kolliopoulou A, Swevers L, Wynant N, Vanden Broeck J. PIWI Proteins Play an Antiviral Role in Lepidopteran Cell Lines. Viruses 2022; 14:v14071442. [PMID: 35891422 PMCID: PMC9321812 DOI: 10.3390/v14071442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Insect antiviral immunity primarily relies on RNAi mechanisms. While a key role of small interfering (si)RNAs and AGO proteins has been well established in this regard, the situation for PIWI proteins and PIWI-interacting (pi)RNAs is not as clear. In the present study, we investigate whether PIWI proteins and viral piRNAs are involved in the immunity against single-stranded RNA viruses in lepidopteran cells, where two PIWIs are identified (Siwi and Ago3). Via loss- and gain-of-function studies in Bombyx mori BmN4 cells and in Trichoplusia ni High Five cells, we demonstrated an antiviral role of Siwi and Ago3. However, small RNA analysis suggests that viral piRNAs can be absent in these lepidopteran cells. Together with the current literature, our results support a functional diversification of PIWI proteins in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dulce Santos
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (T.-W.V.); (L.M.); (S.V.d.B.); (B.G.); (N.W.); (J.V.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (T.-W.V.); (L.M.); (S.V.d.B.); (B.G.); (N.W.); (J.V.B.)
| | - Lina Mingels
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (T.-W.V.); (L.M.); (S.V.d.B.); (B.G.); (N.W.); (J.V.B.)
| | - Stijn Van den Brande
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (T.-W.V.); (L.M.); (S.V.d.B.); (B.G.); (N.W.); (J.V.B.)
| | - Bart Geens
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (T.-W.V.); (L.M.); (S.V.d.B.); (B.G.); (N.W.); (J.V.B.)
| | - Filip Van Nieuwerburgh
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Gent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Gent, Belgium;
| | - Anna Kolliopoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, 153 10 Athens, Greece; (A.K.); (L.S.)
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, 153 10 Athens, Greece; (A.K.); (L.S.)
| | - Niels Wynant
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (T.-W.V.); (L.M.); (S.V.d.B.); (B.G.); (N.W.); (J.V.B.)
| | - Jozef Vanden Broeck
- Research Group of Molecular Developmental Physiology and Signal Transduction, Division of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 59, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (T.-W.V.); (L.M.); (S.V.d.B.); (B.G.); (N.W.); (J.V.B.)
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10
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Samantsidis GR, Denecke S, Swevers L, Skavdis G, Geibel S, Vontas J. Identification of Helicoverpa armigera promoters for biotechnological applications. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2022; 142:103725. [PMID: 35093501 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2022.103725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Helicoverpa armigera and Helicoverpa zea are highly polyphagous major agricultural pests with a global distribution. Their control is based on insecticides, however, new, effective, and environmentally friendly control tools are required to be developed and validated. In an effort to facilitate the development of advanced biotechnological tools in these species that will take advantage of new powerful molecular biology techniques like CRISPR/Cas9, we used available transcriptomic data and literature resources, in order to identify RNA polymerase II and III promoters active in RP-HzGUT-AW1(MG), a midgut derived cell line from Helicoverpa zea. Following functional analysis in insect cell lines, four RNA polymerase II promoters from the genes HaLabial, HaTsp-2A, HaPtx-I and HaCaudal were found to exhibit high transcriptional activity in vitro. The HaTsp-2A promoter did not exhibit any activity in the non-midgut derived cell lines Sf-9 and Hi-5 despite high sequence conservation among Lepidoptera, suggesting that it may function in a gut specific manner. Furthermore, considering the utility of RNA polymerase III U6 promoters in methodologies such as RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9, we identified and evaluated four different U6 promoters of H. armigera. In vitro experiments based on luciferase and GFP reporter assays, as well as in vivo experiments targeting an essential gene of Helicoverpa, indicate that these U6 promoters are functional and can be used to experimentally silence or knockout target genes through the expression of shRNAs and sgRNAs respectively. Taking our findings together, we provide a set of promoters useful for the genetic manipulation of Helicoverpa species, that can be used in various applications in the context of agricultural biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- George-Rafael Samantsidis
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, 71409, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Shane Denecke
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece.
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritos, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, 15310, Athens, Greece
| | - George Skavdis
- Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Sven Geibel
- R&D Pest Control, Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, Monheim, Germany
| | - John Vontas
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Heraklion, Greece; Pesticide Science Lab, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece.
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11
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McDermott‐Rouse A, Minga E, Barlow I, Feriani L, Harlow PH, Flemming AJ, Brown AEX. Behavioral fingerprints predict insecticide and anthelmintic mode of action. Mol Syst Biol 2021; 17:e10267. [PMID: 34031985 PMCID: PMC8144879 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202110267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Novel invertebrate-killing compounds are required in agriculture and medicine to overcome resistance to existing treatments. Because insecticides and anthelmintics are discovered in phenotypic screens, a crucial step in the discovery process is determining the mode of action of hits. Visible whole-organism symptoms are combined with molecular and physiological data to determine mode of action. However, manual symptomology is laborious and requires symptoms that are strong enough to see by eye. Here, we use high-throughput imaging and quantitative phenotyping to measure Caenorhabditis elegans behavioral responses to compounds and train a classifier that predicts mode of action with an accuracy of 88% for a set of ten common modes of action. We also classify compounds within each mode of action to discover substructure that is not captured in broad mode-of-action labels. High-throughput imaging and automated phenotyping could therefore accelerate mode-of-action discovery in invertebrate-targeting compound development and help to refine mode-of-action categories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam McDermott‐Rouse
- MRC London Institute of Medical SciencesLondonUK
- Faculty of MedicineInstitute of Clinical SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - Eleni Minga
- MRC London Institute of Medical SciencesLondonUK
- Faculty of MedicineInstitute of Clinical SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - Ida Barlow
- MRC London Institute of Medical SciencesLondonUK
- Faculty of MedicineInstitute of Clinical SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | - Luigi Feriani
- MRC London Institute of Medical SciencesLondonUK
- Faculty of MedicineInstitute of Clinical SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUK
| | | | | | - André E X Brown
- MRC London Institute of Medical SciencesLondonUK
- Faculty of MedicineInstitute of Clinical SciencesImperial College LondonLondonUK
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12
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Nauen R, Zimmer CT, Vontas J. Heterologous expression of insect P450 enzymes that metabolize xenobiotics. CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 43:78-84. [PMID: 33186746 DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2020.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Insect cytochrome P450-monooxygenases (P450s) are an enzyme superfamily involved in the oxidative transformation of endogenous and exogenous substrates, including insecticides. They were also shown to determine insecticide selectivity in beneficial arthropods such as bee pollinators, and to detoxify plant secondary metabolites. The recent explosion in numbers of P450s due to increased invertebrate genomes sequenced, allowed researchers to study their functional relevance for xenobiotic metabolism by recombinant expression using different expression systems. Troubleshooting strategies, including different systems and protein modifications typically adapted from mammalian P450s, have been applied to improve the functional expression, with partial success. The aim of this mini review is to critically summarize different strategies recently developed and used to produce recombinant insect P450s for xenobiotic metabolism studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Nauen
- Bayer AG, Crop Science Division, R&D, Alfred Nobel-Strasse 50, 40789 Monheim, Germany.
| | - Christoph T Zimmer
- Syngenta Crop Protection, Werk Stein, Schaffhauserstrasse, Stein CH4332, Switzerland
| | - John Vontas
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation for Research and Technology (FORTH), Nikolaou Plastira Street 100, 70013, Heraklion, Crete, Greece; Pesticide Science Laboratory, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 9 75, 11855, Athens, Greece.
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13
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Vorgia E, Lamprousi M, Denecke S, Vogelsang K, Geibel S, Vontas J, Douris V. Functional characterization and transcriptomic profiling of a spheroid-forming midgut cell line from Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 128:103510. [PMID: 33276037 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Insect cell lines have been frequently used in insect science research in recent years. Establishment of cell lines from specialized tissues like the lepidopteran midgut is expected to facilitate research efforts towards the understanding of uptake and metabolic properties, as well as the design of assays for use in pesticide discovery. However, the number of available lines from specialized tissues of insects and the level of understanding of the biological processes taking place in insect cells is far behind mammalian systems. In this study we examine two established cell lines of insect midgut origin, investigate their growth parameters and amenability to transfection and genetic manipulation, and test their potential to form spheroid-like 3D structures. Our results indicate that a midgut-derived cell line from Helicoverpa zea, RP-HzGUT-AW1, is amenable to genetic manipulation by transfection with a standard insect expression vector and has excellent ability to form spheroids. To further investigate the differentiation status of this line, we examined for expression of several candidate marker genes from different midgut cell types, enterocytes (ECs), Goblet cells (GCs), enteroendocrine cells (EEs) and intestinal stem cells (ISCs), indicating that both certain ISC and certain differentiated cell markers were present. To acquire a more detailed perspective of the differentiation landscape of the specific cells, we performed an RNAseq analysis of RP-HzGUT-AW1 grown either in 2D or 3D cultures. We hypothesize that RP-HzGUT-AW1 are in an "arrested" developmental stage between ISC and terminal differentiation. Furthermore, an enrichment of stress response and oxidoreductase genes was observed in the spheroid samples while no significant difference was evident in differentiation markers between cells grown in 2D and 3D. These results render RP-HzGUT-AW1 as the most well-characterized insect gut derived cell line so far, and lay the groundwork for future work investigating midgut cell lines application potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Vorgia
- Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas, 100 N. Plastira Street, 700 13, Heraklion Crete, Greece
| | - Mantha Lamprousi
- Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas, 100 N. Plastira Street, 700 13, Heraklion Crete, Greece; Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, 71409, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Shane Denecke
- Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas, 100 N. Plastira Street, 700 13, Heraklion Crete, Greece
| | - Kathrin Vogelsang
- Bayer AG, CropScience Division, R&D Pest Control, D-40789 Monheim, Germany
| | - Sven Geibel
- Bayer AG, CropScience Division, R&D Pest Control, D-40789 Monheim, Germany
| | - John Vontas
- Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas, 100 N. Plastira Street, 700 13, Heraklion Crete, Greece; Laboratory of Pesticide Science, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece
| | - Vassilis Douris
- Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas, 100 N. Plastira Street, 700 13, Heraklion Crete, Greece; Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, 45110, Ioannina, Greece.
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14
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Kythreoti G, Sdralia N, Tsitoura P, Papachristos DP, Michaelakis A, Karras V, Ruel DM, Yakir E, Bohbot JD, Schulz S, Iatrou K. Volatile allosteric antagonists of mosquito odorant receptors inhibit human-host attraction. J Biol Chem 2020; 296:100172. [PMID: 33298524 PMCID: PMC7948460 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.016557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Odorant-dependent behaviors in insects are triggered by the binding of odorant ligands to the variable subunits of heteromeric olfactory receptors. Previous studies have shown, however, that specific odor binding to ORco, the common subunit of odorant receptor heteromers, may allosterically alter olfactory receptor function and profoundly affect subsequent behavioral responses. Using an insect cell-based screening platform, we identified and characterized several antagonists of the odorant receptor coreceptor of the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae (AgamORco) in a small collection of natural volatile organic compounds. Because some of the identified antagonists were previously shown to strongly repel Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes, we examined the bioactivities of the identified antagonists against Aedes, the third major genus of the Culicidae family. The tested antagonists inhibited the function of Ae. aegypti ORco ex vivo and repelled adult Asian tiger mosquitoes (Ae. albopictus). Binary mixtures of specific antagonists elicited higher repellency than single antagonists, and binding competition assays suggested that this enhanced repellence is due to antagonist interaction with distinct ORco sites. Our results also suggest that the enhanced mosquito repellency by antagonist mixtures is due to additive rather than synergistic effects of the specific antagonist combinations on ORco function. Taken together, these findings provide novel insights concerning the molecular aspects of odorant receptor function. Moreover, our results demonstrate that a simple screening assay may be used for the identification of allosteric modifiers of olfactory-driven behaviors capable of providing enhanced personal protection against multiple mosquito-borne infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Kythreoti
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi, Greece
| | - Nadia Sdralia
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi, Greece
| | - Panagiota Tsitoura
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi, Greece
| | | | - Antonios Michaelakis
- Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Kifissia, Greece
| | - Vasileios Karras
- Entomology and Agricultural Zoology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Kifissia, Greece
| | - David M Ruel
- Department of Entomology, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Esther Yakir
- Department of Entomology, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jonathan D Bohbot
- Department of Entomology, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Stefan Schulz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Kostas Iatrou
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi, Greece.
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15
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Chen X, Chereddy SCRR, Gurusamy D, Palli SR. Identification and characterization of highly active promoters from the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 126:103455. [PMID: 32827641 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The cell lines derived from the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, have been widely used for production of recombinant proteins for applications in both basic research and applications in medicine and agriculture. Promoters from the nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) are commonly used in these expression systems. These promoters have some limitations, which may be overcome by using promoters of genes from S. frugiperda. However, information on these promoters is not available. We identified several highly expressed genes from the transcriptomes of S. frugiperda midgut, fat body, epidermis, ovarian cell line (Sf9), and a midgut cell line (Sf17). The activity of potential promoters of 21 highly expressed genes was evaluated in Sf9 and Sf17 cells. Two of these promoters, SfHSC70-P1780 and SfPub-P2009, showed higher activity than commonly used hr5/ie1 (baculovirus enhancer element, hr5 and immediate early gene 1, ie1) promoter. Interestingly, the activity of these two promoters increased after adding hr5 enhancer element. The hr5/SfPub-P2009 promoter performance was evaluated by expressing an exogenous P450 protein in Sf9 cells using a plasmid-based expression system. The activity of this promoter was also evaluated in the FAW by expressing green fluorescence protein using the baculovirus expression system. In both cases, the hr5/SfPub-P2009 promoter performed better than the commonly used hr5/ie1 promoter. These strong endogenous promoters will be useful for studies in S. frugiperda and other lepidopteran insects for multiple applications, including protein expression, genome editing, and transgenic insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xien Chen
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, United States
| | - Shankar C R R Chereddy
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, United States
| | - Dhandapani Gurusamy
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, United States
| | - Subba Reddy Palli
- Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, United States.
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16
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Matsuda T, Tanijima T, Hirose A, Masumi-Koizumi K, Katsuda T, Yamaji H. Production of influenza virus-like particles using recombinant insect cells. Biochem Eng J 2020; 163:107757. [PMID: 32834743 PMCID: PMC7427601 DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2020.107757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Influenza A virus-like particles (VLPs) were produced using recombinant insect cells. VLPs were produced using insect cells as host cells without using a baculovirus. A secretory form of VLPs consists of hemagglutinin and matrix protein 1. The VLP productivity is comparable to that of the baculovirus–insect cell system.
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are hollow nanoparticles composed of recombinant viral surface proteins without a virus genome. In the present study, we investigated the production of influenza VLPs using recombinant insect cells. DNA fragments encoding influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA) and matrix protein 1 (M1) were cloned with the Drosophila BiP signal sequence in plasmid vectors containing a blasticidin and a neomycin resistance gene, respectively. After Trichoplusia ni BTI-TN-5B1-4 (High Five) cells were co-transfected with a pair of constructed plasmid vectors, stably transformed cells were established via incubation with blasticidin and G418. Western blot analyses showed that recombinant High Five cells secreted HA and M1 proteins into the culture supernatant. Immunoprecipitation of the culture supernatant with an anti-HA antibody and transmission electron microscopy suggested that secreted HA and M1 proteins were in a particulate structure with a morphology similar to that of an influenza virus. Hemagglutination assay indicated that expressed HA molecules retained hemagglutination activity. In a shake-flask culture, recombinant cells achieved a high HA yield (≈ 10 μg/ml) comparable to the yields obtained using the baculovirus–insect cell system. Recombinant insect cells may serve as excellent platforms for the efficient production of influenza VLPs for use as safe and effective vaccines and diagnostic antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Matsuda
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Tanijima
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Akito Hirose
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Kyoko Masumi-Koizumi
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Tomohisa Katsuda
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Hideki Yamaji
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
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17
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Mizote Y, Masumi-Koizumi K, Katsuda T, Yamaji H. Production of an antibody Fab fragment using 2A peptide in insect cells. J Biosci Bioeng 2020; 130:205-211. [PMID: 32284303 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2020.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Antibody Fab fragments consist of heavy chain (Hc) and light chain (Lc) polypeptides assembled with a disulphide bond. The production of a recombinant Fab fragment requires the simultaneous expression of two genes encoding both an Hc and an Lc in the same host cell. In the present study, we investigated the production of Fab fragments in lepidopteran insect cells using a bicistronic plasmid vector carrying the Hc and Lc genes linked with a 2A self-cleaving peptide sequence from the porcine teschovirus-1. We also examined the arrangement of a GSG spacer sequence and a furin cleavage site sequence with the 2A sequence. Western blot analysis and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of culture supernatants showed that Trichoplusia ni BTI-TN-5B1-4 (High Five) cells transfected with a plasmid in which the Hc and Lc genes were joined by the 2A sequence successfully secreted Fab fragments with antigen-binding activity after self-cleavage of the 2A peptide. The GSG linker enhanced 2A cleavage efficiency, and the furin recognition site was useful for removal of 2A residues from the Hc. Transfection with a single plasmid that contained sequences for GSG, the furin cleavage site, GSG, and the 2A peptide between the Hc and Lc genes exhibited a higher productivity than co-transfection with a set of plasmids separately carrying the Hc or Lc gene. These results demonstrate that bicistronic expression with the appropriate combination of a furin recognition site, GSG linkers, and a 2A peptide may be an effective way to efficiently produce recombinant antibody molecules in insect cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Mizote
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Kyoko Masumi-Koizumi
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan; Manufacturing Technology Association of Biologics, c/o Integrated Research Center of Kobe University, 7-1-49 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Tomohisa Katsuda
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan; Manufacturing Technology Association of Biologics, c/o Integrated Research Center of Kobe University, 7-1-49 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Hideki Yamaji
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan; Manufacturing Technology Association of Biologics, c/o Integrated Research Center of Kobe University, 7-1-49 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
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Identification of a novel strong promoter from the anhydrobiotic midge, Polypedilum vanderplanki, with conserved function in various insect cell lines. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7004. [PMID: 31065019 PMCID: PMC6504868 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43441-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Larvae of the African midge Polypedilum vanderplanki (Diptera: Chironomidae) show a form of extreme desiccation tolerance known as anhydrobiosis. The cell line Pv11 was recently established from the species, and these cells can also survive under desiccated conditions, and proliferate normally after rehydration. Here we report the identification of a new promoter, 121, which has strong constitutive transcriptional activity in Pv11 cells and promotes effective expression of exogenous genes. Using a luciferase reporter assay, this strong transcriptional activity was shown to be conserved in cell lines from various insect species, including S2 (Drosophila melanogaster, Diptera), SaPe-4 (Sarcophaga peregrina, Diptera), Sf9 (Spodoptera frugiperda, Lepidoptera) and Tc81 (Tribolium castaneum, Coleoptera) cells. In conjunction with an appropriate selection maker gene, the 121 promoter was able to confer zeocin resistance on SaPe-4 cells and allowed the establishment of stable SaPe-4 cell lines expressing the fluorescent protein AcGFP1; this is the first report of heterologous gene expression in this cell line. These results show the 121 promoter to be a versatile tool for exogenous gene expression in a wide range of insect cell lines, particularly useful to those from non-model insect species.
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Transcriptional response of immune-related genes after endogenous expression of VP1 and exogenous exposure to VP1-based VLPs and CPV virions in lepidopteran cell lines. Mol Genet Genomics 2019; 294:887-899. [DOI: 10.1007/s00438-019-01551-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Kröber T, Koussis K, Bourquin M, Tsitoura P, Konstantopoulou M, Awolola TS, Dani FR, Qiao H, Pelosi P, Iatrou K, Guerin PM. Odorant-binding protein-based identification of natural spatial repellents for the African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 96:36-50. [PMID: 29656020 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2018.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing interest in the development of effective mosquito repellents of natural origin to reduce transmission of diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. To achieve this we have employed an in vitro competition assay involving odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) of the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, with a predominantly female expression bias to identify plant essential oils (EOs) containing bioactive compounds that target mosquito olfactory function. EOs and their fractions capable of binding to such OBPs displayed repellence against female mosquitoes in a laboratory repellent assay. Repellent EOs were subjected to gas chromatographic analysis linked to antennogram (EAG) recordings from female A. gambiae to identify the biologically active constituents. Among these compounds cumin alcohol, carvacrol, ethyl cinnamate and butyl cinnamate proved as effective as DEET at an equivalent dose in the repellent assay, and combinations of carvacrol with either butyl cinnamate or cumin alcohol proved to be significantly more effective than DEET in the assay. When tested as spatial repellents in experimental shelters housing sleeping humans in northern Nigeria a binary mixture of carvacrol plus cumin alcohol caused mosquitoes to leave shelters in significantly higher numbers to those induced by DEET in female Anopheles spp. and in numbers equivalent to that of DEET in Culex spp. mosquitoes. These findings indicate an approach for the identification of biologically active molecules of natural origin serving as repellents for mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Kröber
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Neuchâtel, rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
| | - Konstantinos Koussis
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 153 10 Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece.
| | - Martine Bourquin
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Neuchâtel, rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
| | - Panagiota Tsitoura
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 153 10 Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece.
| | - Maria Konstantopoulou
- Laboratory of Chemical Ecology and Natural Products, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 153 10 Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece.
| | | | | | - Huili Qiao
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Paolo Pelosi
- Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Kostas Iatrou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 153 10 Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece.
| | - Patrick M Guerin
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Neuchâtel, rue Emile-Argand 11, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
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Yamashita A, Nango E, Ashikawa Y. A large-scale expression strategy for multimeric extracellular protein complexes using Drosophila S2 cells and its application to the recombinant expression of heterodimeric ligand-binding domains of taste receptor. Protein Sci 2017; 26:2291-2301. [PMID: 28833672 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Many of the extracellular proteins or extracellular domains of plasma membrane proteins exist or function as homo- or heteromeric multimer protein complexes. Successful recombinant production of such proteins is often achieved by co-expression of the components using eukaryotic cells via the secretory pathway. Here we report a strategy addressing large-scale expression of hetero-multimeric extracellular domains of plasma membrane proteins and its application to the extracellular domains of a taste receptor. The target receptor consists of a heterodimer of T1r2 and T1r3 proteins, and their extracellular ligand binding domains (LBDs) are responsible for the perception of major taste substances. However, despite the functional importance, recombinant production of the heterodimeric proteins has so far been unsuccessful. We achieved the successful preparation of the heterodimeric LBD by use of Drosophila S2 cells, which have a high secretory capacity, and by the establishment of a stable high-expression clone producing both subunits at a comparable level. The method overcame the problems encountered in the conventional transient expression of the receptor protein in insect cells using baculovirus or vector lipofection, which failed in the proper heterodimer production because of the biased expression of T1r3LBD over T1r2LBD. The large-scale expression methodology reported here may serve as one of the considerable strategies for the preparation of multimeric extracellular protein complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsuko Yamashita
- Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 1-1-1, Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan.,RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Eriko Nango
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Yuji Ashikawa
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
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22
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Mori K, Hamada H, Ogawa T, Ohmuro-Matsuyama Y, Katsuda T, Yamaji H. Efficient production of antibody Fab fragment by transient gene expression in insect cells. J Biosci Bioeng 2017; 124:221-226. [PMID: 28410897 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiosc.2017.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Transient gene expression allows a rapid production of diverse recombinant proteins in early-stage preclinical and clinical developments of biologics. Insect cells have proven to be an excellent platform for the production of functional recombinant proteins. In the present study, the production of an antibody Fab fragment by transient gene expression in lepidopteran insect cells was investigated. The DNA fragments encoding heavy-chain (Hc; Fd fragment) and light-chain (Lc) genes of an Fab fragment were individually cloned into the plasmid vector pIHAneo, which contained the Bombyx mori actin promoter downstream of the B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) IE-1 transactivator and the BmNPV HR3 enhancer for high-level expression. Trichoplusia ni BTI-TN-5B1-4 (High Five) cells were co-transfected with the resultant plasmid vectors using linear polyethyleneimine. When the transfection efficiency was evaluated, a plasmid vector encoding an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene was also co-transfected. Transfection and culture conditions were optimized based on both the flow cytometry of the EGFP expression in transfected cells and the yield of the secreted Fab fragments determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Under optimal conditions, a yield of approximately 120 mg/L of Fab fragments was achieved in 5 days in a shake-flask culture. Transient gene expression in insect cells may offer a promising approach to the high-throughput production of recombinant proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Mori
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Hirotsugu Hamada
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Takafumi Ogawa
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan; Institute of Pathology, Kyodo Byori, Inc., 2-7-12 Otsuwa, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2112, Japan
| | - Yuki Ohmuro-Matsuyama
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Tomohisa Katsuda
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan; Manufacturing Technology Association of Biologics, c/o Integrated Research Center of Kobe University, 7-1-49 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
| | - Hideki Yamaji
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501, Japan; Manufacturing Technology Association of Biologics, c/o Integrated Research Center of Kobe University, 7-1-49 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
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23
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Tsitoura P, Iatrou K. Positive Allosteric Modulation of Insect Olfactory Receptor Function by ORco Agonists. Front Cell Neurosci 2016; 10:275. [PMID: 28018173 PMCID: PMC5145856 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Insect olfactory receptors (ORs) are heteromeric ligand-gated cation channels composed of a common olfactory receptor subunit (ORco) and a variable subunit (ORx) of as yet unknown structures and undetermined stoichiometries. In this study, we examined the allosteric modulation exerted on Anopheles gambiae heteromeric ORx/ORco olfactory receptors in vitro by a specific class of ORco agonists (OAs) comprising ORcoRAM2 and VUAA1. High OA concentrations produced stronger functional responses in cells expressing heteromeric receptor channels relative to cells expressing ORco alone. These OA-induced responses of ORx/ORco channels were also notably much stronger than those obtained upon administration of ORx-specific ligands to the same receptors. Most importantly, small concentrations of OAs were found to act as strong potentiators of ORx/ORco function, increasing dramatically both the efficacy and potency of ORx-specific odorants. These results suggest that insect heteromeric ORs are highly dynamic complexes adopting different conformations that change in a concerted fashion as a result of the interplay between the subunits of the oligomeric assemblies, and that allosteric modulation may constitute an important element in the modulation and fining tuning of olfactory reception function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kostas Iatrou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”Athens, Greece
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24
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Swevers L, Ioannidis K, Kolovou M, Zografidis A, Labropoulou V, Santos D, Wynant N, Broeck JV, Wang L, Cappelle K, Smagghe G. Persistent RNA virus infection of lepidopteran cell lines: Interactions with the RNAi machinery. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2016; 93-94:81-93. [PMID: 27595655 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 07/13/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
RNAi is broadly used as a technique for specific gene silencing in insects but few studies have investigated the factors that can affect its efficiency. Viral infections have the potential to interfere with RNAi through their production of viral suppressors of RNAi (VSRs) and the production of viral small RNAs that can saturate and inactivate the RNAi machinery. In this study, the impact of persistent infection of the RNA viruses Flock house virus (FHV) and Macula-like virus (MLV) on RNAi efficiency was investigated in selected lepidopteran cell lines. Lepidopteran cell lines were found to be readily infected by both viruses without any apparent pathogenic effects, with the exception of Bombyx-derived Bm5 and BmN4 cells, which could not be infected by FHV. Because Sf21 cells were free from both FHV and MLV and Hi5-SF were free from FHV and only contained low levels of MLV, they were tested to evaluate the impact of the presence of the virus. Two types of RNAi reporter assays however did not detect a significant interference with gene silencing in infected Sf21 and Hi5-SF cells when compared to virus-free cells. In Hi5 cells, the presence of FHV could be easily cleared through the expression of an RNA hairpin that targets its VSR gene, confirming that the RNAi mechanism was not inhibited. Sequencing indicated that the B2 RNAi inhibitor gene of FHV and a putative VSR gene from MLV were intact in persistently infected cell lines, indicating that protection against RNAi remains essential for virus survival. It is proposed that infection levels of persistent viruses in the cell lines are too low to have an impact on RNAi efficiency in the lepidopteran cell lines and that encoded VSRs act locally at the sites of viral replication (mitochondrial membranes) without affecting the rest of the cytoplasm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, Athens, Greece.
| | - Konstantinos Ioannidis
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, Athens, Greece
| | - Marianna Kolovou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, Athens, Greece
| | - Aris Zografidis
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, Athens, Greece
| | - Vassiliki Labropoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, Athens, Greece
| | - Dulce Santos
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Niels Wynant
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jozef Vanden Broeck
- Department of Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Luoluo Wang
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kaat Cappelle
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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25
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Grigoraki L, Balabanidou V, Meristoudis C, Myridakis A, Ranson H, Swevers L, Vontas J. Functional and immunohistochemical characterization of CCEae3a, a carboxylesterase associated with temephos resistance in the major arbovirus vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 74:61-67. [PMID: 27180726 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2016.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Temephos is a major organophosphate (OP) larvicide that has been used extensively for the control of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, the major vectors for viral diseases, such as dengue fever, zika and chikungunya. Resistance to temephos has been recently detected and associated with the upregulation of carboxylesterases (CCEs) through gene amplification, in both species. Here, we expressed the CCEae3a genes which showed the most striking up-regulation in resistant Aedes strains, using the baculovirus system. All CCEae3a variants encoded functional enzymes, with high activity and preference for p-nitrophenyl butyrate, a substrate that was shown capable to differentiate temephos resistant from susceptible Aedes larvae. Enzyme kinetic studies showed that CCEae3as from both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus (CCEae3a_aeg and CCEae3a_alb, respectively) strongly interact with temephos oxon and slowly released the OP molecule, indicating a sequestration resistance mechanism. No difference was detected between resistant and susceptible CCEae3a_aeg variants (CCEae3a_aegR and CCEae3a_aegS, respectively), indicating that previously reported polymorphism is unlikely to play a role in temephos resistance. HPLC/MS showed that CCEae3as were able to metabolize temephos oxon to the temephos monoester [(4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfanyl] phenyl O,O-dimethylphosphorothioate. Western blot and immunolocalization studies, based on a specific antibody raised against the CCEae3a_alb showed that the enzyme is expressed at higher levels in resistant insects, primarily in malpighian tubules (MT) and nerve tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Grigoraki
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, 73100 Heraklion, Greece; Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 73100 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Vassileia Balabanidou
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Vassilika Vouton, 73100 Heraklion, Greece; Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 73100 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Christos Meristoudis
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos', Athens, Greece
| | - Antonis Myridakis
- Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL), Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Hilary Ranson
- Department of Vector Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, UK
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos', Athens, Greece
| | - John Vontas
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 73100 Heraklion, Greece; Pesticide Science Laboratory, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece.
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26
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Fast Census of Moth Diversity in the Neotropics: A Comparison of Field-Assigned Morphospecies and DNA Barcoding in Tiger Moths. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148423. [PMID: 26859488 PMCID: PMC4747490 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2015] [Accepted: 01/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The morphological species delimitations (i.e. morphospecies) have long been the best way to avoid the taxonomic impediment and compare insect taxa biodiversity in highly diverse tropical and subtropical regions. The development of DNA barcoding, however, has shown great potential to replace (or at least complement) the morphospecies approach, with the advantage of relying on automated methods implemented in computer programs or even online rather than in often subjective morphological features. We sampled moths extensively for two years using light traps in a patch of the highly endangered Atlantic Forest of Brazil to produce a nearly complete census of arctiines (Noctuoidea: Erebidae), whose species richness was compared using different morphological and molecular approaches (DNA barcoding). A total of 1,075 barcode sequences of 286 morphospecies were analyzed. Based on the clustering method Barcode Index Number (BIN) we found a taxonomic bias of approximately 30% in our initial morphological assessment. However, a morphological reassessment revealed that the correspondence between morphospecies and molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) can be up to 94% if differences in genitalia morphology are evaluated in individuals of different MOTUs originated from the same morphospecies (putative cases of cryptic species), and by recording if individuals of different genders in different morphospecies merge together in the same MOTU (putative cases of sexual dimorphism). The results of two other clustering methods (i.e. Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery and 2% threshold) were very similar to those of the BIN approach. Using empirical data we have shown that DNA barcoding performed substantially better than the morphospecies approach, based on superficial morphology, to delimit species of a highly diverse moth taxon, and thus should be used in species inventories.
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Yamaji H, Konishi E. Production of Japanese Encephalitis Virus-Like Particles Using Insect Cell Expression Systems. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1404:365-375. [PMID: 27076311 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3389-1_25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) can be produced via the expression of virus surface proteins that self-assemble into particulate structures in recombinant protein expression systems. Expression of the DNA fragment encoding the Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus prM signal peptide, the precursor (prM) of the viral membrane protein (M), and the envelope glycoprotein (E) allows the production of a secretory form of VLPs. Expression systems that use lepidopteran insect cells, such as the baculovirus-insect cell system and stably transformed insect cells, can be used for the efficient production of JE VLPs. This chapter describes the production of JE VLPs from stably transformed lepidopteran insect cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Yamaji
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan.
| | - Eiji Konishi
- BIKEN Endowed Department of Dengue Vaccine Development, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Ratchawithi Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.,BIKEN Endowed Department of Dengue Vaccine Development, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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28
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Insect cell transformation vectors that support high level expression and promoter assessment in insect cell culture. Plasmid 2016; 83:12-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 01/09/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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29
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Ioannidis K, Swevers L, Iatrou K. Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus lef8 gene: effects of deletion and implications for gene transduction applications. J Gen Virol 2015; 97:786-796. [PMID: 26701681 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we have deleted the lef8 gene of the baculovirus BmNPV, which encodes one of the viral RNA polymerase subunits, in order to create a knockout bacmid, Δlef8, directing cytopathology-free single-cell infections for gene transduction and recombinant protein production. However, while removal of the complete lef8 ORF produced the expected phenotype, it also affected the function of the closely linked essential gene orf40, thus hampering the mutant bacmid rescue in cultured Bombyx cells expressing recombinant LEF8. Subsequently, we determined that several diverse sequences can substitute for the orf40 5'-upstream sequences that were removed by the deletion of the lef8 gene and also showed that neither a physical linkage nor expression of the two relevant genes under native promoter control is a prerequisite for a fully functional virus. Based on these findings, we generated a rescue-competent lef8-null vector, which contained a heterologous promoter-driven orf40. This lef8-deficient vector, which produces productive infections and progeny virus lacking lef8 in deficiency-complementing cells expressing LEF8, could be used as the basis for an alternative to current silkmoth transduction systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Ioannidis
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos', 15310 Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos', 15310 Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece
| | - Kostas Iatrou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research 'Demokritos', 15310 Aghia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece
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Viral Small-RNA Analysis of Bombyx mori Larval Midgut during Persistent and Pathogenic Cytoplasmic Polyhedrosis Virus Infection. J Virol 2015; 89:11473-86. [PMID: 26339065 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01695-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The lepidopteran innate immune response against RNA viruses remains poorly understood, while in other insects several studies have highlighted an essential role for the exo-RNAi pathway in combating viral infection. Here, by using deep-sequencing technology for viral small-RNA (vsRNA) assessment, we provide evidence that exo-RNAi is operative in the silkworm Bombyx mori against both persistent and pathogenic infection of B. mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) which is characterized by a segmented double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genome. Further, we show that Dicer-2 predominantly targets viral dsRNA and produces 20-nucleotide (nt) vsRNAs, whereas an additional pathway is responsive to viral mRNA derived from segment 10. Importantly, vsRNA distributions, which define specific hot and cold spot profiles for each viral segment, to a considerable degree overlap between Dicer-2-related (19 to 21 nt) and Dicer-2-unrelated vsRNAs, suggesting a common origin for these profiles. We found a degenerate motif significantly enriched at the cut sites of vsRNAs of various lengths which link an unknown RNase to the origins of vsRNAs biogenesis and distribution. Accordingly, the indicated RNase activity may be an important early factor for the host's antiviral defense in Lepidoptera. IMPORTANCE This work contributes to the elucidation of the lepidopteran antiviral response against infection of segmented double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus (CPV; Reoviridae) and highlights the importance of viral small-RNA (vsRNA) analysis for getting insights into host-pathogen interactions. Three vsRNA pathways are implicated in antiviral defense. For dsRNA, two pathways are proposed, either based on Dicer-2 cleavage to generate 20-nucleotide vsRNAs or based on the activity of an uncharacterized endo-RNase that cleaves the viral RNA substrate at a degenerate motif. The analysis also indicates the existence of a degradation pathway that targets the positive strand of segment 10.
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Genomic Analysis and Isolation of RNA Polymerase II Dependent Promoters from Spodoptera frugiperda. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0132898. [PMID: 26263512 PMCID: PMC4532503 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Baculoviral Expression Vector System (BEVS) is the most commonly used method for high expression of recombinant protein in insect cells. Nevertheless, expression of some target proteins-especially those entering the secretory pathway- provides a severe challenge for the baculovirus infected insect cells, due to the reorganisation of intracellular compounds upon viral infection. Therefore, alternative strategies for recombinant protein production in insect cells like transient plasmid-based expression or stable expression cell lines are becoming more popular. However, the major bottleneck of these systems is the lack of strong endogenous polymerase II dependent promoters, as the strong baculoviral p10 and polH promoters used in BEVS are only functional in presence of the viral transcription machinery during the late phase of infection. In this work we present a draft genome and a transcriptome analysis of Sf21 cells for the identification of the first known endogenous Spodoptera frugiperda promoters. Therefore, putative promoter sequences were identified and selected because of high mRNA level or in analogy to other strong promoters in other eukaryotic organism. The chosen endogenous Sf21 promoters were compared to early viral promoters for their efficiency to trigger eGFP expression using transient plasmid based transfection in a BioLector Microfermentation system. Furthermore, promoter activity was not only shown in Sf21 cells but also in Hi5 cells. The novel endogenous Sf21 promoters were ranked according to their activity and expand the small pool of available promoters for stable insect cell line development and transient plasmid expression in insect cells. The best promoter was used to improve plasmid based transient transfection in insect cells substantially.
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Ali MP, Kato T, Park EY. Improved insecticidal activity of a recombinant baculovirus expressing spider venom cyto-insectotoxin. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2015; 99:10261-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-015-6846-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 07/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Tsitoura P, Koussis K, Iatrou K. Inhibition of Anopheles gambiae odorant receptor function by mosquito repellents. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:7961-72. [PMID: 25657000 PMCID: PMC4367294 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m114.632299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Revised: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification of molecular targets of insect repellents has been a challenging task, with their effects on odorant receptors (ORs) remaining a debatable issue. Here, we describe a study on the effects of selected mosquito repellents, including the widely used repellent N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), on the function of specific ORs of the African malaria vector Anopheles gambiae. This study, which has been based on quantitative measurements of a Ca(2+)-activated photoprotein biosensor of recombinant OR function in an insect cell-based expression platform and a sequential compound addition protocol, revealed that heteromeric OR (ORx/Orco) function was susceptible to strong inhibition by all tested mosquito repellents except DEET. Moreover, our results demonstrated that the observed inhibition was due to efficient blocking of Orco (olfactory receptor coreceptor) function. This mechanism of repellent action, which is reported for the first time, is distinct from the mode of action of other characterized insect repellents including DEET.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiota Tsitoura
- From the Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 15310 Athens and
| | - Konstantinos Koussis
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, 70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Kostas Iatrou
- From the Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", 15310 Athens and
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Abstract
Insect systems, including the baculovirus-insect cell and Drosophila S2 cell systems are widely used as recombinant protein production platforms. Historically, however, no insect-based system has been able to produce glycoproteins with human-type glycans, which often influence the clinical efficacy of therapeutic glycoproteins and the overall structures and functions of other recombinant glycoprotein products. In addition, some insect cell systems produce N-glycans with immunogenic epitopes. Over the past 20 years, these problems have been addressed by efforts to glyco-engineer insect-based expression systems. These efforts have focused on introducing the capacity to produce complex-type, terminally sialylated N-glycans and eliminating the capacity to produce immunogenic N-glycans. Various glyco-engineering approaches have included genetically engineering insect cells, baculoviral vectors, and/or insects with heterologous genes encoding the enzymes required to produce various glycosyltransferases, sugars, nucleotide sugars, and nucleotide sugar transporters, as well as an enzyme that can deplete GDP-fucose. In this chapter, we present an overview and history of glyco-engineering in insect expression systems as a prelude to subsequent chapters, which will highlight various methods used for this purpose.
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Liu J, Kolliopoulou A, Smagghe G, Swevers L. Modulation of the transcriptional response of innate immune and RNAi genes upon exposure to dsRNA and LPS in silkmoth-derived Bm5 cells overexpressing BmToll9-1 receptor. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 66:10-19. [PMID: 24831177 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Revised: 05/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Injection or feeding of dsRNA is commonly used to induce specific gene silencing by RNAi in insects but very little research has been carried out to investigate non-specific effects on gene expression of dsRNA as pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP). This study focuses on the potential role of the BmToll9-1 receptor to modulate the transcriptional response of innate immune and RNAi genes to dsRNA and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which was used for comparison. To study this role, we took advantage of the silkmoth-derived Bm5 cell line, which does not express BmToll9-1 endogenously, and engineered a transformed cell line that permanently expresses BmToll9-1. Quantitative mRNA expression studies showed that BmToll9-1 can significantly alter the transcriptional response to dsRNA and LPS: (1) BmToll9-1 promotes the transcriptional response of Dicer2, encoding a key component of the RNAi machinery, and, to a lesser extent, that of transcription factors in the Jak-STAT and Toll pathways; and (2) BmToll9-1 represses the transcriptional induction of the IMD and Jak-STAT pathway genes, as well as the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) effector genes, by LPS. Thus, BmToll9-1 was identified as a modulator of innate immune and RNAi machinery gene expression that could be related to its preferential expression in the larval gut, the major barrier of pathogen entry. While BmToll9-1 was found to modulate RNAi-related gene expression, a reporter-based RNAi assay established no evidence for a direct interaction of BmToll9-1 with the intracellular RNAi machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisheng Liu
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Anna Kolliopoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences & Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece.
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Shoja Z, Tagliamonte M, Jalilvand S, Mollaei-Kandelous Y, De Stradis A, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro FM, Buonaguro L. Formation of self-assembled triple-layered rotavirus-like particles (tlRLPs) by constitutive co-expression of VP2, VP6, and VP7 in stably transfected high-five insect cell lines. J Med Virol 2014; 87:102-11. [PMID: 24797918 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.23973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In this study, stable high-five insect cell line constitutively expressing rotavirus (RV) VP2 was co-transfected with VP6 and VP7-recombinant plasmids. The presence of RV proteins in stably transfected high-five cells was verified by molecular and protein analyses. To yield self-assembled triple-layered RV-like particles (tlRLPs), a stable insect high-five cell line was generated to produce RV VP6 and VP7 besides VP2. Self-assembled tlRLPs were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess their antigenicity in vivo. The results suggest that the stable transfected high-five cells are able to generate tlRLPs with the efficient antigenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zabihollah Shoja
- Virology Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Virology Department, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Swevers L, Kolliopoulou A, Li Z, Daskalaki M, Verret F, Kalantidis K, Smagghe G, Sun J. Transfection of BmCPV genomic dsRNA in silkmoth-derived Bm5 cells: stability and interactions with the core RNAi machinery. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2014; 64:21-9. [PMID: 24636911 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2013] [Revised: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/07/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
While several studies have been conducted to investigate the stability of dsRNA in the extracellular medium (hemolymph, gut content, saliva), little is known regarding the persistence of dsRNA once it has been introduced into the cell. Here, we investigate the stability of Bombyx mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) genomic dsRNA fragments after transfection into Bombyx-derived Bm5 cells. Using RT-PCR as a detection method, we found that dsRNA could persist for long periods (up to 8 days) in the intracellular environment. While the BmCPV genomic dsRNA was processed by the RNAi machinery, its presence had no effects on other RNAi processes, such as the silencing of a luciferase reporter by dsLuc. We also found that transfection of BmCPV genomic dsRNA could not establish a viral infection in the Bm5 cells, even when co-transfections were carried out with dsRNAs targeting Dicer and Argonaute genes, suggesting that the neutralization by RNAi does not play a role in the establishment of an in vitro culture system. The mechanism of the dsRNA stability in Bm5 cells is discussed, as well as the implications for the establishment for an in vitro culture system for BmCPV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", P. Grigoriou & Neapoleos Str, Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, 153 42 Athens, Greece.
| | - Anna Kolliopoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", P. Grigoriou & Neapoleos Str, Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, 153 42 Athens, Greece
| | - Zheng Li
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Subtropical Sericulture and Mulberry Resources Protection and Safety, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, People's Republic of China
| | - Maria Daskalaki
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes University Campus, 700 13 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Frederic Verret
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes University Campus, 700 13 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Kriton Kalantidis
- Department of Biology, University of Crete, Voutes University Campus, 700 13 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jingchen Sun
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Subtropical Sericulture and Mulberry Resources Protection and Safety, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, People's Republic of China.
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Yu N, Swevers L, Nachman RJ, Smagghe G. Development of cell-based bioassay with Sf9 cells expressing TcSKR1 and TcSKR2 and differential activation by sulfated and non-sulfated SK peptides. Peptides 2014; 53:238-42. [PMID: 24582608 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2014.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2013] [Revised: 01/17/2014] [Accepted: 01/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Insect sulfakinin receptors (SKRs) are G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that interact with sulfakinins (SKs) to modulate diverse biological processes. One of the indispensable roles of SKs is in the regulation of food intake in insects. In this project we report on the development of a cell-based receptor assay system with insect Sf9 cells, expressing TcSKR1 and TcSKR2 from the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, a model and important pest insect in agriculture. In this system, a stable presence of the two TcSKRs was supported by Western blotting. The expressed TcSKRs were coupled to Gαs-protein upon activation and stimulated cAMP accumulation in Sf9 cells. Exposure of the transfected cell lines to sulfated SK (sSK) activated TcSKR1 at 1 nM; the EC50 of sSK to obtain 50% of receptor activation was similar for both receptors. In contrast, μM concentrations of non-sulfated SK were necessary to activate both TcSKRs. In conclusion, this cell-based TcSKR assay system is useful to screen SK-related peptides and mimetics and to better document ligand-receptor structure-activity relationships. Given the importance of SK signaling system in insects, the present study may provide new insights on the development of new methods to control pest insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Yu
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Luc Swevers
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Institute of Biosciences and Applications National Centre for Scientific Research "Demokritos", Athens, Greece
| | - Ronald J Nachman
- Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research, Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center, USDA, College Station, TX 77845, USA
| | - Guy Smagghe
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
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Production of rotavirus core-like particles in Sf9 cells using recombinase-mediated cassette exchange. J Biotechnol 2014; 171:34-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2013.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Revised: 11/20/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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40
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Zheng GL, Li MM, Li CY. Establishment and characterization of three new cell lines from the embryonic tissue of Holotrichia oblita Faldermann (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2014; 50:483-8. [PMID: 24464351 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-013-9732-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2013] [Accepted: 12/31/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The establishment of new insect cell lines plays important roles in the researches of insect pathology, insect toxicology, insecticide screening and activity assay, etc. Using embryos of Holotrichia oblita Faldermann (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) as materials, this study describes the establishment of three cell lines designated as QAU-Ho-E-3 (Ho-3), QAU-Ho-E-4 (Ho-4), and QAU-Ho-E-6 (Ho-6), respectively. Currently, the three cell lines have been passaged more than 50 times in the TNM-FH insect cell medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). All of them showed adherent growth. The majority of Ho-3 cells are spindle-shaped, with a size of 24.35 ± 5.29 × 11.56 ± 1.67 μm. The Ho-4 cells were either spindle-shaped or oblong, with a size of 38.07 ± 8.57 × 17.62 ± 2.48 μm. The Ho-6 cells were primarily round in shape with a diameter of 14.54 ± 1.96 μm. The Ho-3 and Ho-4 cell lines contained 20 chromosomes (i.e., diploid, 2n = 20) at passages 14 and 45. The Ho-6 cell line contained 20 chromosomes (i.e., diploid, 2n = 20) at passage 14 but 40 chromosomes (i.e., polyploidy, 4n = 40) at passage 45. The results of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis showed that the RAPD fingerprint of the three cell lines was consistent with that of H. oblita eggs, but clearly different from that of BTI-Tn5B1-4 and Sf-9 cells, demonstrating that the three cell lines Ho-3, Ho-4, and Ho-6 are H. oblita cell lines. The results of the growth curve test showed that the population doubling times of Ho-3, Ho-4, and Ho-6 were 101.1, 105.2, and 83.6 h, respectively. The viral infection assay indicated that these H. oblita cell lines were not permissive to infection by Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) or Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV).
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Affiliation(s)
- Gui-Ling Zheng
- Key Lab of Integrated Crop Pest Management of Shandong Province, College of Agronomy and Plant Protection, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China
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Yamaji H. Suitability and perspectives on using recombinant insect cells for the production of virus-like particles. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2014; 98:1963-70. [PMID: 24407451 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-013-5474-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Revised: 12/12/2013] [Accepted: 12/14/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) can be produced in recombinant protein production systems by expressing viral surface proteins that spontaneously assemble into particulate structures similar to authentic viral or subviral particles. VLPs serve as excellent platforms for the development of safe and effective vaccines and diagnostic antigens. Among various recombinant protein production systems, the baculovirus-insect cell system has been used extensively for the production of a wide variety of VLPs. This system is already employed for the manufacture of a licensed human papillomavirus-like particle vaccine. However, the baculovirus-insect cell system has several inherent limitations including contamination of VLPs with progeny baculovirus particles. Stably transformed insect cells have emerged as attractive alternatives to the baculovirus-insect cell system. Different types of VLPs, with or without an envelope and composed of either single or multiple structural proteins, have been produced in stably transformed insect cells. VLPs produced by stably transformed insect cells have successfully elicited immune responses in vivo. In some cases, the yield of VLPs attained with recombinant insect cells was comparable to, or higher than, that obtained by baculovirus-infected insect cells. Recombinant insect cells offer a promising approach to the development and production of VLPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Yamaji
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan,
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Niarchos A, Zouridakis M, Douris V, Georgostathi A, Kalamida D, Sotiriadis A, Poulas K, Iatrou K, Tzartos SJ. Expression of a highly antigenic and native-like folded extracellular domain of the human α1 subunit of muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, suitable for use in antigen specific therapies for Myasthenia Gravis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e84791. [PMID: 24376846 PMCID: PMC3869910 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe the expression of the extracellular domain of the human α1 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) in lepidopteran insect cells (i-α1-ECD) and its suitability for use in antigen-specific therapies for Myasthenia Gravis (MG). Compared to the previously expressed protein in P. pastoris (y-α1-ECD), i-α1-ECD had a 2-fold increased expression yield, bound anti-nAChR monoclonal antibodies and autoantibodies from MG patients two to several-fold more efficiently and resulted in a secondary structure closer to that of the crystal structure of mouse α1-ECD. Our results indicate that i-α1-ECD is an improved protein for use in antigen-specific MG therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marios Zouridakis
- Department of Biochemistry, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Vassilis Douris
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | | | - Konstantinos Poulas
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
- * E-mail: (SJT) (KP)
| | - Kostas Iatrou
- Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, Greece
| | - Socrates J. Tzartos
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
- Department of Biochemistry, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
- * E-mail: (SJT) (KP)
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Yang H, He X, Yang J, Deng X, Liao Y, Zhang Z, Zhu C, Shi Y, Zhou N. Activation of cAMP-response element-binding protein is positively regulated by PKA and calcium-sensitive calcineurin and negatively by PKC in insect. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2013; 43:1028-1036. [PMID: 24018109 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2013.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2013] [Revised: 08/27/2013] [Accepted: 08/29/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The cAMP response element binding protein, CREB, is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signal-activated transcription factor implicated in the control of many biological processes. In the current study, we constructed a cAMP response element (CRE)-driven luciferase assay system for GPCR characterization in insect cells. Our results indicated that Gs-coupled Bombyx adipokinetic hormone receptor (AKHR) and corazonin receptor could effectively initiate CRE-driven luciferase transcription, but forskolin, a reagent widely used to activate adenylyl cyclase in mammalian systems, failed to induce luciferase activity in insect cells co-transfected with a CRE-driven reporter construct upon agonist treatment. Further investigation revealed that the specific protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors exhibited stimulatory effects on CRE-driven reporter transcription, and blockage of Ca(2+) signals and inhibition of Ca(2+)-dependent calcineurin resulted in a significant decrease in the luciferase activity. Taken together, these results suggest that PKC likely acts as a negative regulator to modulate CREB activation; in contrast, Ca(2+) signals and Ca(2+)-dependent calcineurin, in addition to PKA, essentially contribute to the positive regulation of CREB activity. This study presents evidence to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism by which CREB activation is regulated in insects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huipeng Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry, College of Life Science, Zijingang Campus, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
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Kolliopoulou A, Swevers L. Functional analysis of the RNAi response in ovary-derived silkmoth Bm5 cells. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2013; 43:654-663. [PMID: 23669468 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2013.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/01/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Experiments of dsRNA-mediated gene silencing in lepidopteran insects in vivo are characterized by high variability although lepidopteran cell cultures have shown an efficient response to RNAi in transfection experiments. In order to identify the core RNAi factors that regulate the RNAi response of Lepidoptera, we employed the silkmoth ovary-derived Bm5 cells as a test system since this cell line is known to respond potently in silencing after dsRNA transfection. Two parallel approaches were used; involving knock-down of the core RNAi genes or over-expression of the main siRNA pathway factors, in order to study possible inhibition or stimulation of the RNAi silencing response, respectively. Components from all three main small RNA pathways (BmAgo-1 for miRNA, BmAgo-2/BmDcr-2 for siRNA, and BmAgo-3 for piRNA) were found to be involved in the RNAi response that is triggered by dsRNA. Since BmAgo-3, a factor in the piRNA pathway that functions independent of Dicer in Drosophila, was identified as a limiting factor in the RNAi response, sense and antisense ssRNA was also tested to induce gene silencing but proved to be ineffective, suggesting a dsRNA-dependent role for BmAgo-3 in Bombyx mori. After efficient over-expression of the main siRNA factors, immunofluorescence staining revealed a predominant cytoplasmic localization in Bm5 cells. This is the first study in Lepidoptera to provide evidence for possible overlapping of all three known small RNA pathways in the regulation of the dsRNA-mediated silencing response using transfected B. mori-derived Bm5 cells as experimental system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kolliopoulou
- Insect Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology Group, Institute of Biosciences and Applications, National Centre for Scientific Research, Demokritos, Neapoleos & Patriarchou Grigoriou, 153 10, Aghia Paraskevi Attikis, Athens, Greece
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Yamaji H, Konishi E. Production of Japanese encephalitis virus-like particles in insect cells. Bioengineered 2013; 4:438-42. [PMID: 23639981 DOI: 10.4161/bioe.24514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are composed of one or several recombinant viral surface proteins that spontaneously assemble into particulate structures without the incorporation of virus DNA or RNA. The baculovirus-insect cell system has been used extensively for the production of recombinant virus proteins including VLPs. While the baculovirus-insect cell system directs the transient expression of recombinant proteins in a batch culture, stably transformed insect cells allow constitutive production. In our recent study, a secretory form of Japanese encephalitis (JE) VLPs was successfully produced by Trichoplusia ni BTI-TN-5B1-4 (High Five) cells engineered to coexpress the JE virus (JEV) premembrane (prM) and envelope (E) proteins. A higher yield of E protein was attained with recombinant High Five cells than with the baculovirus-insect cell system. This study demonstrated that recombinant insect cells offer a promising approach to the high-level production of VLPs for use as vaccines and diagnostic antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Yamaji
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering; Graduate School of Engineering; Kobe University; Kobe, Japan; BIKEN Endowed Department of Dengue Vaccine Development; Faculty of Tropical Medicine; Mahidol University; Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Eiji Konishi
- BIKEN Endowed Department of Dengue Vaccine Development; Faculty of Tropical Medicine; Mahidol University; Bangkok, Thailand
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De Wilde R, Swevers L, Soin T, Christiaens O, Rougé P, Cooreman K, Janssen CR, Smagghe G. Cloning and functional analysis of the ecdysteroid receptor complex in the opossum shrimp Neomysis integer (Leach, 1814). AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2013; 130-131:31-40. [PMID: 23337090 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2012] [Revised: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, the non-target effects of tebufenozide were evaluated on the estuarine crustacean, the opposum shrimp Neomysis integer (Leach, 1814). Tebufenozide is a synthetic non-steroidal ecdysone agonist insecticide and regarded as potential endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC). N. integer is the most used crustacean in ecotoxicological research in parallel to Daphnia sp. and has been proposed for the regulatory testing of potential EDCs in the US, Europe and Japan. Major results were: (i) cDNAs encoding the ecdysteroid receptor (EcR) and the retinoid-X-receptor (RXR), were cloned and sequenced, and subsequent molecular phylogenetic analysis (maximum likelihood and neighbor-joining) revealed that the amino acid sequence of the ligand binding domain (LBD) of N. integer EcR (NiEcR) clusters as an outgroup of the Crustacea, while NiRXR-LBD clusters in the Malacostracan clade (bootstrap percentage=75%). (ii) 3D-modeling of ligand binding to NiEcR-LBD demonstrated an incompatibility of the insecticide tebufenozide to fit into the NiEcR-ligand binding pocket. This was in great contrast to ponasterone A (PonA) that is the natural molting hormone in Crustacea and for which efficient docking was demonstrated. In addition, the heterodimerization of NiEcR-LBD with the common shrimp Crangon crangon (Linnaeus, 1758) RXR-LBD (CrcRXR-LBD) was also modeled in silico. (iii) With use of insect Hi5 cells, chimeric constructs of NiEcR-LBD and CrcRXR-LBD fused to either the yeast Gal4-DNA binding domain (DBD) or Gal4-activation domain (AD) were cloned into expression plasmids and co-transfected with a Gal4 reporter to quantify the protein-protein interactions of NiEcR-LBD with CrcRXR-LBD. Investigation of the ligand effect of PonA and tebufenozide revealed that only the presence of PonA could induce dimerization of this heterologous receptor complex. (iv) Finally, in an in vivo toxicity assay, N. integer juveniles were exposed to tebufenozide at a concentration of 100 μg/L, and no effects against the molting process and nymphal development were scored. In conclusion, the in vitro cell reporter assay, based on NiEcR-LBD/CrcRXR-LBD heterodimerization in Hi5 cells and validated with the natural ecdysteroid hormone PonA, represents a useful tool for the screening of putative EDCs. As a test example for non-steroidal ecdysone agonist insecticides, tebufenozide had no negative effects on NiEcR/RXR receptor dimerization in vitro, nor on the molting process and nymphal development of N. integer at the tested concentration (100 μg/L) in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- R De Wilde
- Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Development of a stable insect cell line constitutively expressing rotavirus VP2. Virus Res 2013; 172:66-74. [PMID: 23287060 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2012.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2012] [Revised: 11/22/2012] [Accepted: 12/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Farrell PJ, Kucknoor AS, Iatrou K, Gedamu L. A simple technique to enhance the humoral immune response to intracellular protein antigens in genetic immunizations. J Immunol Methods 2013; 387:308-11. [PMID: 22964556 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2012.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2012] [Revised: 08/29/2012] [Accepted: 08/29/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
A simple technique to enhance the humoral immune response to intracellular protein antigens in genetic immunizations is demonstrated in mice. In this approach, the intracellular protein is intentionally secreted from expressing cells as a chimeric protein, comprising an N-terminal secreted protein fused to the intracellular protein antigen. Using the Leishmania chagasi Ldccys1 cysteine protease (411CP) as an example of an intracellular protein antigen and both human and murine granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GMCSF) as examples of N-terminal secretion competent fusion partners in chimeric proteins, a humoral response in plasmid DNA immunized mice could only be detected by Western blotting when the expressed 411CP was secreted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Farrell
- Schulich School of Engineering, Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4.
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Liu J, Swevers L, Iatrou K, Huvenne H, Smagghe G. Bombyx mori DNA/RNA non-specific nuclease: expression of isoforms in insect culture cells, subcellular localization and functional assays. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2012; 58:1166-1176. [PMID: 22709524 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2012.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2012] [Revised: 05/26/2012] [Accepted: 05/29/2012] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
A DNA/RNA non-specific alkaline nuclease (BmdsRNase) was isolated from the digestive juice of Bombyx mori. While originally reported to be produced by the midgut only, in this project it was found that the mRNA of this enzyme was also expressed in the epidermis, fat body, gut, thoracic muscles, Malpighian tubules, brain, and silk glands of 5th instar larvae, indicating additional functions to its reported role in nucleic acid digestion in the midgut. In order to study the functional properties of BmdsRNase, three pEA-BmdsRNase expression constructs were generated, characterized by presence or absence of a signal peptide and a propeptide, and used for expression in lepidopteran Hi5 tissue culture cells. Western blot indicated that these different forms of BmdsRNase protein were not secreted into the growth medium, while they were detected in the pellets and supernatants of Hi5 cell extracts. Nucleic acids cleavage experiments indicated that full-length BmdsRNase could digest dsRNA and that the processed form (absence of signal peptide and propeptide) of BmdsRNase could degrade both DNA and dsRNA in Hi5 cell culture. Using a reporter assay targeted by transfected homologous dsRNA, it was shown that the digestive property of the processed form could interfere with the RNAi response. Immunostaining of processed BmdsRNase protein showed asymmetric localization in the cellular cytoplasm and co-localization with Flag-tagged Dicer-2 was also observed. In conclusion, our in vitro studies indicated that intracellular protein isoforms of BmdsRNase can be functional and involved in the regulation of nucleic acid metabolism in the cytoplasm. In particular, because of its propensity to degrade dsRNA, the enzyme might be involved in the innate immune response against invading nucleic acids such as RNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisheng Liu
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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Cérutti M, Golay J. Lepidopteran cells, an alternative for the production of recombinant antibodies? MAbs 2012; 4:294-309. [PMID: 22531440 DOI: 10.4161/mabs.19942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies are used with great success in many different therapeutic domains. In order to satisfy the growing demand and to lower the production cost of these molecules, many alternative systems have been explored. Among them, the baculovirus/insect cells system is a good candidate. This system is very safe, given that the baculoviruses have a highly restricted host range and they are not pathogenic to vertebrates or plants. But the major asset is the speed with which it is possible to obtain very stable recombinant viruses capable of producing fully active proteins whose glycosylation pattern can be modulated to make it similar to the human one. These features could ultimately make the difference by enabling the production of antibodies with very low costs. However, efforts are still needed, in particular to increase production rates and thus make this system commercially viable for the production of these therapeutic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martine Cérutti
- CNRS UPS3044 Baculovirus et Thérapie, CNRS GDR3260, ACCITH Anticorps et Ciblage Thérapeutique and LabEx MabImprove, Saint Christol Lèz Alès, France.
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